Josh Walker Bio
Joshua Todd Walker, known professionally as Josh Walker, is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays and made his MLB debut in 2023. A left-handed pitcher drafted by the New York Mets in 2017, Walker has spent his professional career moving between organizations, often as a depth option shuttling between Triple-A affiliates and the major league roster.
Standing out for his resilience after a serious car accident in 2019 and the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season, Walker rebuilt his career in the minor leagues before finally reaching the majors at age 28. His journeyman path through several organizations reflects both the challenges of developing as a pitcher and the modern reality of bullpen turnover in MLB.
Early Life and Background
Joshua Todd Walker was born on December 1, 1994, in Slate Hill, New York. He grew up in the rural community of Slate Hill, located in Orange County, in the Hudson Valley region of New York State. This small-town upbringing provided a fitting environment for an athlete who would later learn to adapt to constant change in his professional life.
Walker attended Minisink Valley High School in Slate Hill, where he was a multi-sport athlete. He played football, baseball, and swam competitively, demonstrating an athletic versatility that would later serve him well as a pitcher. As a senior on the baseball team, Walker posted a 2.60 earned run average (ERA), showing early promise on the mound and earning the attention of college recruiters.
After graduating from Minisink Valley, Walker continued his baseball career at the college level. He played two seasons of college baseball at the University of South Florida before transferring to the University of New Haven in 2016. In his senior season at New Haven in 2017, he recorded a 3–1 record with a 2.40 ERA over thirty innings, numbers strong enough to attract the attention of Major League Baseball scouts.
Path to Professional Baseball
Following his successful senior season at the University of New Haven, Walker was selected by the New York Mets in the 37th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. Although a late-round selection, he signed with the organization and began his professional career that same year, making his debut with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Mets. He posted a 9.42 ERA over 14+1⁄3 innings in his first professional season, a typical adjustment period for a young college pitcher facing more advanced competition.
In 2018, Walker progressed through the Mets’ minor league system, playing for the Kingsport Mets of the Rookie-level Appalachian League before being promoted to the Brooklyn Cyclones of the Low-A New York–Penn League. With Brooklyn, he pitched to a 3.27 ERA with 52 strikeouts over 41+1⁄3 innings, establishing himself as a promising left-handed arm in the organization. His development was halted in 2019 when he was involved in a car accident that injured his left arm, limiting him to just six innings on the mound that year.
The 2020 minor league season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, costing Walker another full year of development. He returned to action in 2021, pitching across three levels of the Mets system: High-A Brooklyn, Double-A Binghamton, and Triple-A Syracuse. Over 21 games, including 20 starts, he went 9–4 with a 3.73 ERA and 98 strikeouts across 115+2⁄3 innings, the most productive season of his minor league career to that point. In 2022, injuries again slowed him, and he spent much of the year rehabbing before returning to Syracuse.
Josh Walker Career
Early Career (2017–2022)
Walker’s early professional years were defined by perseverance through setbacks. After being drafted in the 37th round by the New York Mets in 2017, he steadily climbed the minor league ladder despite injuries and the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. His strongest minor league campaign came in 2021, when he posted a 9–4 record across three affiliates and established himself as a viable starting pitcher prospect.
By 2022, Walker was back at Triple-A Syracuse but continued to battle injuries that limited him to 22 innings across the Florida Complex League Mets, St. Lucie Mets, and Syracuse. Still, he remained on the Mets’ radar as a left-handed depth piece heading into the 2023 season.
New York Mets Era (2023–2024)
Walker began the 2023 season at Triple-A Syracuse, where he was dominant in nine appearances, logging a 0.68 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 13+1⁄3 innings. That performance earned him a promotion to the major leagues on May 16, 2023, when he was added to the 40-man roster. He made his MLB debut with the Mets that day, fulfilling a lifelong dream that had been delayed by injury and the pandemic.
His first major league stint, however, was a struggle. In 14 games with the Mets in 2023, Walker posted an 8.10 ERA with 12 strikeouts across 10 innings of work. He was placed on the injured list on August 14, 2023, with a right oblique strain and was transferred to the 60-day injured list three days later. He returned in 2024 but continued to struggle at the MLB level, recording a 5.11 ERA in 10 appearances before being designated for assignment following the acquisition of Ryne Stanek on July 26, 2024.
Toronto Blue Jays Era (2025)
After his release from the Mets organization, Walker was briefly traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 30, 2024, in exchange for Nicolas Carreno. He made one appearance for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians before being designated for assignment and released. He re-signed with the Pirates on a minor league deal in August 2024 and elected free agency after the season on November 4, 2024.
On December 20, 2024, Walker signed a one-year, $760,000 contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, securing his return to a major league roster. He was optioned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons to begin the 2025 season. In three appearances for Toronto, he recorded a 7.20 ERA with eight strikeouts over five innings. He was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on May 25, 2025, following the promotion of Ali Sánchez.
Baltimore Orioles Era (2025–Present)
Walker was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on May 29, 2025, in exchange for cash considerations, and spent time with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, where he logged a 2–1 record and 4.50 ERA with 22 strikeouts over 26 innings. He was designated for assignment by the Phillies on August 19, 2025. On August 21, 2025, Walker was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles, beginning the latest chapter of his career.
With the Triple-A Norfolk Tides, Walker made six appearances and recorded a 2.70 ERA with seven strikeouts across 6+2⁄3 innings. He was designated for assignment by the Orioles on November 6, 2025, claimed by the Atlanta Braves on November 13, designated for assignment again on December 5, and claimed back by the Orioles on December 10. He was designated for assignment once more on December 19 following the acquisition of Shane Baz, continuing his pattern of waiver-driven movement through MLB organizations.
Driving Style and Strengths
As a left-handed pitcher, Walker provides teams with a valuable platoon arm out of the bullpen. His career path, marked by multiple assignments and recalls, suggests he profiles as a depth option who can handle short relief stints in the major leagues while developing further at the Triple-A level.
Notable Events and Milestones
The defining milestone of Walker’s career came on May 16, 2023, when he made his MLB debut with the New York Mets after years of perseverance through a car accident, the pandemic, and injuries. His ability to remain in professional baseball despite repeated organizational changes highlights his durability and adaptability as a pitcher.
Josh Walker Career Highlights
Walker’s professional resume is defined by persistence rather than headline statistics. His most productive minor league season came in 2021, when he went 9–4 with a 3.73 ERA across three Mets affiliates. His MLB debut in 2023 with the Mets marked the highest point of his career to date.
Minor League Highlights
Across his time in the minors, Walker has pitched for the Gulf Coast League Mets, Kingsport Mets, Brooklyn Cyclones, Binghamton Rumble Ponies, Syracuse Mets, Florida Complex League Mets, St. Lucie Mets, Buffalo Bisons, Indianapolis Indians, Lehigh Valley IronPigs, and Norfolk Tides. His best Triple-A stretch came in 2023, when he posted a 0.68 ERA with Syracuse before his promotion.
Other Performances
Walker’s major league appearances remain limited, with stints for the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays. His current chapter with the Baltimore Orioles organization reflects his continued effort to establish himself as a reliable big league reliever.
Josh Walker Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public information about Josh Walker’s immediate family is limited. He was raised in Slate Hill, New York, and attended Minisink Valley High School, where he participated in football, baseball, and swimming.
Personal Life
Details about Walker’s personal relationships, including a spouse or partner, are not publicly documented. He continues his professional baseball career out of his adopted home cities tied to each organization he joins.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season has been one of constant movement for Josh Walker. He began the year with the Toronto Blue Jays organization, signing a one-year, $760,000 contract in December 2024, but was designated for assignment in late May after a small sample of major league work.
Traded to the Philadelphia Phillies and later claimed by the Baltimore Orioles, Walker has spent most of the season at the Triple-A level, putting up solid numbers with Lehigh Valley and Norfolk. His late-season claim by the Orioles and subsequent transactions in November and December 2025 highlight his status as a depth arm with a left-handed profile that organizations continue to monitor.
Heading into the 2025 offseason, Walker’s future with the Orioles remains uncertain as he continues to navigate the waiver wire, a familiar chapter in a career shaped by resilience and adaptation.